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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25627675">Scars on your back</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittycat_beans/pseuds/kittycat_beans'>kittycat_beans</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Last of Us</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:53:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,229</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25627675</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittycat_beans/pseuds/kittycat_beans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's about the yearning in secret.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Abby &amp; Nora (The Last of Us)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Scars on your back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The high-pitched sound of metal squeaking around the hallways made it hard for the soldier to relax, her fingers fighting the urge to scratchat the bandages on her arm. She was already nervous, the adrenaline still rushing through her body, making her heart beat loud enough to reach her ears. The dull grey and dark medical room was already a place she didn't want to be in, never fond of being patched-up or the memories a medical office brought up and hearing the frantic moving and shouting outside put her more on edge and she ended up scratching.</p><p>"I thought I told you not to touch that.", Nora frowned at the sheepish smile the blonde gave. She could tell Abby was nervous, jumping in the stretcher when the officer clicked the door closed behind her.</p><p>"I know there's a lot going on outside but it sounds worse than it is...", the dark-skinned woman crossed the room with a medical-kit in hand, stopping mere inches away from the skittish, distracted wolf. </p><p>"Abby...", Nora sighed and put a hand over the one Abby was using to scratch at the soaked bandages.</p><p>The faint touch was enough for her to look up at Nora the first time since entering the room, her broad shoulders relaxing just a bit to make her not seem like she was hunched over. </p><p>"Sorry, my mind is...", Abby grew silent at the nod the other woman gave. She took in a deep breath, held it in and then let it out. She repeated it a few times, her heart slowing to a more comfortable pace.</p><p>Nora moved Abby's hand away, huffing at the sight of fresh bandages completely messy with blood. </p><p>"We'll have to change that. Again...", the playful emphasis on the last part made Abby blink away.</p><p>Being under the attentive and caring eyes of the officer made her start to feel nervous again, though she couldn't quite put a finger on the reason why.</p><p>When Nora's fingers brushed her wrist to lift the bandages up to cut open with scissors, she swore her heart jumped a beat. Nora didn't notice the shift of Abby's body on the stretcher. If she did, she made no comment and only continued to clean the arm.</p><p>"Try not to scratch that again, yeah?", Nora wiped her fingers clean, Abby's odd curiosity in watching the cloth wrap around each long finger completely lost in the officer who merely focused on her task.</p><p>"Manny told me you got shot with an arrow. Let me take a look.", Nora was expecting a hole to the leg or shoulder but when Abby turned around and lifted her shirt up to reveal the small wound, the officer's eyes widened at the sculpted back of Isaac's very best.</p><p>"It doesn't hurt that much. I took it out as soon as it got in but I think it's still bleeding?", with Abby turned away from Nora she couldnt see the way the other's eyes drifted over her back. Nora squeezed her hand shut, the urge to touch making her chew her lip.</p><p>"Holy shit, Abby...", the younger woman placed her palm over the spot between Abby's shoulderblades, feeling the way the muscles didn't give into the light pressure her fingers made. She studied the scars on Abby's freckled skin, each of different sizes but all of them adding a certain break to the spots over Abby's shoulders and arms. Like her freckles were being painted on but in certain places there was no ink but there was a line or a circle, lighter than her skin.</p><p>"Is it that bad?", the wolf felt an unfamiliar warmth on her cheeks and neck. Nora's distracted exploring of her marred back made her freeze in place, maybe too nervous to move and lose that contact or just too nervous to move and make it awkward.</p><p>"There are so many of them…", the comment was more of a whisper but Abby heard it perfectly and it made her squirm just a bit. She didn't know how to react to the soft caresses Nora was offering, the actual wound from the arrow ignored. She couldn't remember having anyone touch her like this, like they were studying a map to some lost, beautiful city.</p><p>Abby felt that urge to scratch at her bandages arm again. She wouldn't dare touch her neck and lose the tender attention but she needed to touch something, something to make her heart calm down before all the blood pumped to her face and she wouldn't be able to get rid of the stupid, embarrassing blush.</p><p>Nora's fingers traveled down Abby's wide back, her much softer fingertips caressing at each scar, each width and length, each spot from a bullet wound, each line from a slash and a stab from a blade. </p><p>She reached the line of fabric at Abby's waist and all of a sudden, the realization of what had happened made her pull her hand away with a gasp.</p><p>"I'm sorry. I'm..", Nora shot up with a hand over her mouth, looking down at Abby with wide eyes and a slight darker shade on her cheeks. </p><p>"N-no, it's fine! I...", Abby couldn't say she didn't mind Nora's touches, she couldn't just confess to have sat there while she caressed her scars and pretend not to have noticed how Nora never once mentioned the injury or even touched anywhere near that area.</p><p>"I'll…I'll patch that up...", Nora sat down and started to work on the arrow wound but Abby could tell her often precise, serious and professional demeanor as a medical officer was faltering. She shook a bit but did a decent enough job for Abby to know that hole wouldn't be giving her problems on her next run.</p><p>Nora gave her shoulder a pat and Abby dropped her shirt, the black fabric covering all that skin Nora was  admiring just moments ago. Now the mood between them was odd, the awkward stare and look away, the silence as the two stood there in the boring office.</p><p>"You're good to go, Abby.", Nora broke the silence with a nervous and brief smile. "Oh, don't…scratch that, you hear? Or I'll have to change it again.", her tone was odd, almost challenging in a weird way.</p><p>"I won't...", Abby chuckled and rubbed her neck.</p><p>Abby moved to leave but Nora blocked the door, her eyes glued to the freckles on the soldier's cheeks.</p><p>"If you do... I'll be upset...", Nora smiled.</p><p>Abby put a hand on the wooden threshold, leaning closer with a defiant smirk. She felt bolder all of a sudden, bold enough to look Nora in the eyes.</p><p>"We wouldn't want that, would we?", she hissed.</p><p>Nora touched at the bandaged arm, stepping to the side to let the wolf leave. Abby lingered near the open door, her eyes searching Nora's for something tshe didn't know she'd been craving for so long.</p><p>"I'll see you very soon, doctor Harris...", Abby let her fingers brush the threshold as she left, disappearing down the hallway until Nora couldn't see her.</p><p>Nora smiled, leaving the door ajar and setting a fresh roll of bandages and bottle of ointment over the stretcher. She sat down and let her face twist with a wide grin at the musical knocking on her door.</p><p>"Nora, I need new bandages...", they both laughed.</p>
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